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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Family Games That Inspire and Develop Creativity ~ Morphology

As a Mom, I often find myself looking back to my own youth, rediscovering fond memories and activities to share with my own children.

I want to make sure I share with them, especially in this age of all things techno, how much I loved playing board games with my family, my sisters and friends when I was a child. Sunny, summer days tucked away in a fort of our own creation in the yard, snuggled up with blankets on cold, winter day or full family together around the kitchen table on a Saturday night.

While I do find my own children often dazzled by new, techy games and even new versions of classics, this Mom finds a great deal of value in games and activities that inspire creativity and imagination.It is a special treat to discover a toy or game that truly engages, like Morphology and Morphology Junior.

Although I usually am on the hunt for games and toys for my family or for gift for my nieces and nephews, upon discovering Morphology, I was immediately struck by the appropriateness of this game for use with my elementary level Destination Imagination (formerly Odyssey of the Mind) competitive team.

This group of ten year old engineers in the making meets weekly over a large part of the year, to challenge themselves both creatively and cognitively for competition. One aspect of the regional, state and national competitions is to showcase their improvisational skills while solving a mystery instant challenge: they are presented with a surprise challenge to solve and evaluated on their ability to meet all requirements, work together as a team and to develop a creative solution.

Designed specifically to encourage divergent and creative thinking, Morphology has been an excellent resource training resource for my team, as well as a fun, family activity at home.

How To Play
With over seven creation materials, 52 units to use in creating, six varied modes of play, as well as an extensive deck of easy and hard words to create, Morphology is truly a game that offers a unique experience each time you play through limitless creative combinations.

As a family, we have especially enjoyed playing the Eyes Closed (build word given with eyes closed) and Pick 5 (select five items first, then build word given) methods of play. For my team, we often use Free Play mode (must create a word from deck utilizing all pieces) and Morph! (team member becomes part of the picture).

My Take ~
Morphology is a step above the typical board game! Easy to transport with a compartmentalized box, I frequently use it as a creative ice breaker to get my Destination Imagination team's creative juices flowing, as well as for honing the team's skills in preparing for Instant Challenges in competition. The flexibility of level and diversity of game mode make Morphology a wonderful selection for family game night, appropriate and fun for all ages, as well as for ideal for both individual or team play. This Mom considers Morphology a must have for any game collection. The recent edition of Morphology Junior would be a welcomed edition to any classroom's resources

***GIVEAWAY***
Morphology is generously offering That's What She Said readers a chance to win their own original Morphology game edition, retail value $29.99. This giveaway is open to residents of US, 18+ and will end on Monday, April 30. 2012 at 12:01am EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.Good Luck!

I received a copy of Morphology to explore for the purposes of creating this feature. Images and information sourced from various Morphology sites. The opinions and experiences above are both honest and my own. Sponsor is responsible for supplying and shipping prize. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goolge+ are not involved in, nor responsible for this giveaway in any fashion.

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comments
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I learned that Morphology was Invented by Kate Ryan Reiling and the Game Morphology was launched in the fall of 2009. This sounds like a really fun game that makes you think and use your imagination. Thanks for sharing it with all of us~!

This was lot's of fun Thanks Again. I have been voting for Doodle Roll but voting has ended now. I hope they win because it's really a neat item at a low cost. This is an item on my x-mas list for all the kids this year. Couldn't follow anyone new on twitter still capped but I'm having a giveaway they may increase followers so I can follow more soon. Make it a great day~!

Morphology Games launched in late fall of 2009, quickly selling out its original units and in 2010, went to the New York Toy Fair where it received two “Top New Toys of 2010” nods. In the fall of 2010, Morphology was selected as TIME’s Top Ten Toys list as the Number 2 Toy of the Year.!!!j1man1r66@etex.net

Well for starters i have never heard of the game before. But i learned how fun it would be to play it with my kids. It's the 2012 Teacher' Choice Awards for the Family by Learning Magazine. That right there makes me feel great about this product.

I love that it's so simple (considering today's technology driven society--I type from my iphone) but looks so fun! It really challenges you to be creative. Would be great for my kids. Thank you for the chance to win!candicesweeps@yahoo dot com